By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
Imagine you’re out in the community and you witness someone suffering a cardiac arrest. What do you do? As a nurse, you likely spring into action and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), knowing that every minute—and every compression—counts. But what if those compressions aren’t deep enough or don’t come quickly enough? Now, a new, portable device can provide you with the comforting reminders you need to stay calm—and confident—while performing CPR.
The PocketCPR is a cell phone-sized device that coaches first responders with audio and visual cues on the correct performance of CPR.
Manufactured by Bio-Detek, a subsidiary of Zoll Medical Corporation based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, PocketCPR is a cell phone-sized device that coaches first responders with audio and visual cues on the correct performance of CPR. Using technology implemented in Zoll Medical Corporation’s AED Plus and Real CPR Help, PocketCPR puts real-time, life-saving messages into the palm of the user’s hand.
Mark Totman, president of Bio-Detek, conceived the idea more than a decade ago when defibrillators were just entering the marketplace.
“Back in 1996, when we were developing personal wearable defibrillators, I became more aware of the importance of CPR. I got trained and I thought, ‘What happens if I actually need to do something?’” he explained.
“About six years ago, I hooked up with Zoll and we were just introducing the AED Plus, a defibrillator that had a built-in sensor that would analyze the motion when you were moving up and down doing compressions,” he continued. “I immediately saw the link that this was a good thing to have—CPR was a good thing, but you needed to have the AED. I wondered if I could pull out something that could be more widely deployed than AEDs could possibly be.”
Totman set his sights on creating a tool that could be used by every high school coach, every recreational tennis player and, eventually, every layperson who might ever find him or herself in a situation during which CPR would need to be performed.
“I wanted something that everyone—even a rescuer who took a CPR course three or four years ago—could pull out of their bag, turn on, get reminded and, when the rubber hit the road, put their hands on a chest and start doing CPR with a device that would give feedback,” he said.
PocketCPR does just that. All that’s necessary is for the rescuer to place the device on the chest of the CPR recipient before chest compressions are given. PocketCPR will then notify the rescuer via both audio instructions and flashing lights if they need to “push harder,” if the compression is less than 1.5 to 2 inches deep, as specified by the American Heart Association (AHA). The device will respond with “good compressions” if the appropriate depth is reached. A built-in metronome will also help the rescuer keep the appropriate time as indicated by the AHA.
Paramedic Tim McGough, NREMT-P, an instructor at Boston Medical Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, relayed the importance of a tool like PocketCPR to instill confidence in people who have been trained in CPR.
“One of the main reasons laypeople are reluctant to do CPR is their fear of doing it wrong; but what if you could take that fear out of the equation? PocketCPR coaches you right from the beginning, starting with the initial compression, to give you the validation that you’re doing it correctly,” he said. “That type of feedback, along with the visual indicators, makes it a lot easier for a layperson to do it.”
McGough remarked that “good studies show that CPR done right improves patient survival, and this device strengthens the length in the chain, extending the time the rescuer has to get to the victim.” He also added that PocketCPR can reinforce the rules of CPR in even the most seasoned of performers.
“Just this afternoon a nurse I know was begging me to give her my PocketCPR to take into the emergency room with her,” he said, adding that he’s even come across cardiologists whose CPR skills aren’t quite as up to par as they thought they were. “They understand the benefits of doing CPR according to guidelines and anything that can help them do that.”
So what does the future hold for PocketCPR? Totman hopes that it will go the way of the smoke detector, which today must be inspected by the fire department before the sale of a new home.
“Thirty-five years ago, when smoke detectors were introduced, they were expensive and there certainly were no regulations,” he said, adding that today’s knowledge and legislation make people check the smoke alarm before they purchase or sell a home and count on the detector as a safety tool they wouldn’t want to live without.
“My real vision is that in five or 10 years, perhaps those same things will happen with PocketCPR.”
For more information, visit the PocketCPR Web site.
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